Conference on Arid Lands: Environments and Societies at Risk
Al Akhawan University in Ifrane
May 19 to 21 2010

The conference languages are English, Arabic, and French.

The themes of the conference are:

Arid Environments
• geography and geomorphology of arid environments
• desertification
• causes and impacts of periodic droughts
• locust and locust control
Economies of Arid Areas
• pastoral nomadism
• oasis agriculture;
• long distance trade
• impact of extraction commodities (oil, gas, iron ore, copper, etc.) on local populations
• tourism development and its impacts on local populations and environments;
Societies in Arid Areas
• traditional social/political organizations (among pastoralists, among settled populations)
• how modern territorial states exercise sovereignty over deserts
• conflict over resources in arid areas
• impacts of out-migration
Water Use and Water Management
• traditional water use and management systems
• irrigation systems such as khettarah/foggarah/aflaj
• impact of state policies on water and water management (new irrigation schemes, commercial agricultural investments, exploitation of aquifers, etc)
• impacts of tourism development on water resources and their management
Architecture of Arid Areas
• building materials; building design
• design/configuration of settlements
• environmentally sustainable architecture
• innovative architectural techniques
• Protection of architectural heritage
Intellectual Life, Religion and Religious Institutions in Arid Regions
• the desert in scripture, the ascetic tradition in deserts
• Sufism and Sufi Brotherhoods
• Pilgrimages and sacred places
• Manuscript production
• Libraries
• Preservation of intellectual heritage
Risks of Climate Change to Arid Areas
• climate change and the desertification/desiccation of arid areas
• impact of climate change on societies in arid areas
• risks to development in arid areas
• impacts on policies in counties that are mostly arid

The conference will begin with two and one half days of presentations and panel discussions. These will be followed, for participants who are interested, by a two and a half day field excursion to the Tafilalet Oasis (Errachidia, Erfoud, Rissani). Departure will be on Friday, May 21 and return on Sunday, May 23. The Tafilalet Oasis is one of the largest in the Sahara and is exemplary of many of the issues covered in the conference. If you are interested in the trip to the Tafilalt, please be sure to let us know when you send your abstract.

The conference is open to scholars who work on Arid Lands anywhere in the world, not only in North Africa and the Middle East. The languages of the conference are English, Arabic, and French. To participate in this conference, send an abstract of 350 to 500 words to:

Abstracts will be accepted through March 15, 2010. Participants will be notified of their acceptance no later than March 30. Full versions of selected papers will be published in a volume of the journal of the Al Akhawayn University Social Science Research Institute.

Conference Fee:
Non-Moroccans: 80 Euros ($112) – on conference fee
100 Euros ($140) for Tafilalt trip
180 Euros ($252) for full conference plus trip
For Moroccans: 500 Dhs – on campus fee
950 Dhs – for Tafiallt trip
1450 Dhs – for full conference plus trip
For Moroccan participants, there is also the option of a day fee of 100 Dhs per day for those who will not be staying overnight.

Visas are not needed for US, Canadian, and European Union passport holders. For others, please check with the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism website to see if you need a visa before arrival. Visas are not issued at the airport or any land border. The conference organizers cannot obtain a visa for you, but if contacted in enough time, we can provide a letter of acceptance in the conference which you can use to get your visa from the Moroccan consulate closest to you.

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